Traditional, charter schools seek common ground in South Florida

On Monday, representatives from key charter chains and school districts gathered in Fort Lauderdale in search of common goals at the behest of the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools, which aims to emerge from further talks with a platform to present when the 2014 legislative session begins.

After four hours of discussion at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel, the 15-member task force seemed to agree on one point: they’ve got a lot of work to do.

Broward Superintendent Robert Runcie, who co-chaired the group with state Rep. Janet Adkins, R-Fernandina Beach, said success will “take a change in mindset of both sides.”

“The language and rhetoric around this has evolved to a point in the state where it’s not healthy,” he said. “We’ll be better off if we figure out how to collaborate in a way that serves our students best.”